Newcastle United vs. Manchester United: Biased analyses from most pundits

Most pundits have created a false narrative that Manchester United defeated themselves in Sunday’s loss to Newcastle United. The true narrative should be that the Magpies outplayed the Red Devils.

The match on Sunday between Newcastle United and Manchester United ended 1-0 in favor of the underdogs, Newcastle United. A powerful strike from Matt Ritchie gave the Magpies a crucial lead in the second half and a few last minute saves from Martin Dubravka secured all three points.

Upon the conclusion of the match, several media outlets turned to their football experts for post-game analyses. The problem, however, is the misleading narrative most pundits created. The 1-0 result was acknowledged and the highlights were shown, but then the narrative was strictly focused on Manchester United.

I understand that the loss to Newcastle United came as a surprise to almost every pundit and supporter around the Premier League, but there are better ways of analyzing such matches. For instance, it is normal to discuss what went wrong for Manchester United, but disregarding Newcastle’s performance is unacceptable.

Alan Shearer should not have been one of the only analysts to praise Newcastle United for their valiant performance over a superior opponent. Unfortunately, the former Newcastle record-breaker was among a small group of experts to speak highly of the Magpies. With that being said, since most pundits avoided this discussion, the following sections will explain how Newcastle took three points against Manchester United.

Balanced Formation

When inferior clubs prepare for matches against domestic giants, their managers emphasize the art of defending. To be fair, Rafa Benitez implemented this strategy against Manchester City, but the Spanish tactician had other plans for Manchester United. Jose Mourinho was incorrect in his assumption that Benitez would deploy a defensive formation to steal a point. Benitez went with his traditional 4-2-3-1 formation and encouraged his players to attack as he aimed for three points with his club in a tight relegation battle.

The balanced style of play through this formation enabled Jonjo Shelvey and Mohamed Diame to control the middle third of the pitch. Through aggressive interventions for 50-50 balls and wise short ball and through ball passes forward and to the wings, Newcastle’s midfielders brilliantly created passing lanes to attack.

At the same time, every midfielder also fell deep to close the gaps of the opposition’s passing lanes.

Defensive Stability

For those who remember the 4-1 thrashing of Newcastle United at Old Trafford in November, all four of Manchester United’s strikes came from three or four yards away from the goal. The Magpies defense lacked stability, were victims of miscommunication and were out-muscled by the Red Devils’ attacking core.

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On Sunday, Jamaal Lascelles and Florian Lejeune used their strength to take control of the penalty area by running to the ball first, staying in front of Romelu Lukaku and pushing the ball out wide.

On the wings, DeAndre Yedlin and Paul Dummett maintained a fair amount of possession, avoided excessive passing in the back and pushed the ball closer to midfield to create a higher line of defense, which in turn pushed Lukaku and company further away from the goal.

Sure, Manchester United had 13 shot attempts during the match, but the solid Newcastle defense only allowed four of those shots to go on-target.

Mentality

A dominant side sitting second in the table playing against a club fighting for survival in the league basement could be problematic in terms of motivation. Only Mourinho knows if the Red Devils underestimated the Magpies or if they simply lacked sufficient energy, but it was evident that Manchester United were dysfunctional as a collective unit. Having the right mentality for a match is a key catalyst for a successful outcome, but Manchester United were simply running without purpose.

Newcastle United, on the other end, had an objective in mind and that was to win the match. Would the Magpies have been content with a draw? Yes, but draws keep clubs in the bottom three.

With a victory, Benitez knew his team could climb out of the drop zone and approach the top half of the table, and Newcastle did just that. Manchester United made life difficult at St. James’ Park, but the dedication to avoid relegation incited more energy and confidence for the Magpies.

Next: High expectations for Slimani at Newcastle

Final Note

When comparing the two rosters side-by-side, it is clear that Manchester United would defeat Newcastle United nine times out of ten. But that one upset occurred on Sunday, and the Magpies deserve proper credit and praise for that result. Not only did the Magpies deserve three points and climb five spots up the table, Newcastle gained important momentum for the remainder of the season to ensure their survival in the top flight next season.